Washington Hyperbaric Therapy Center

Planning your visit

The clinic recommends that patients get a referral and medical clearance from their own physician (specialist, primary care, naturopath or functional medicine provider); if that is difficult, staff can help arrange a visit with a physician familiar with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. A personalized orientation covers equalizing ear pressure, and patients sign an informed consent form before treatment. Patients arrive 10 minutes before each session, eat regular meals beforehand and avoid carbonated drinks for at least four hours before treatment. Lotions, makeup, hair products, perfumes, petroleum-based products and alcohol-based skin products or deodorants are not allowed; shoes are not allowed in the chamber; watches, wigs, jewelry, prostheses and hearing aids are removed; and anything else brought into the chamber must be checked with the technician first. Staff should be told about a cold or congestion, an ear or sinus infection, possible pregnancy, nausea or diarrhea, recent medication changes, or missed insulin. All dental work should be finished before starting, and patients who smoke are asked not to smoke for at least 2 hours before and after each session. Patients are asked to keep a diary of daily treatments. Dive times vary with the condition treated, and patients may read, watch a movie or sleep during a session; the clinic says its hard chambers are designed to allow reading and using phones and computers during sessions. Visitors stay outside the treatment area, but an adult family member may accompany a child into the chamber. Session lengths are approximate and can run longer than scheduled; a booking fee applies to visits cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice.